A lone wolf, and soon that too

Simian wolf, a species of wolf that lives in the high mountains in Ethiopia is in double danger from the domesticated dogs - these cross the females and cause hybrid offspring as well as infecting them with rabies * This month they were vaccinated

The beautiful one in the picture is one of the rarer dogs. Its entire population is estimated at 700 individuals, of which about 500 are in the wide valleys between the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia.

In 1990, about 700 wolves lived in Bala. A rabies epidemic killed them and only about 200 individuals remained. With the help of the Born Free Foundation, most individuals were vaccinated, and the population overcame the plague. A small population barely exists in the Semien Mountains, also in Ethiopia. This is also the population that gave the wolf its name, Zev-Simain.

Some call it an Ethiopian wolf, an Abyssinian wolf, a red jackal, a simian jackal, and more, others are mistaken and call it a "red fox" because of its "fox" appearance and its size (the size of a jackal), but there is no doubt that it is a wolf, as evidenced by its scientific name Canis simensis, and its relationship with dogs in his living area, when herds of sheep and cattle come to the area.

The shepherd dogs "court" the female wolves, being bigger and stronger than the wolves, they manage to push the legs of the males, mate with the females, and the result is hybrids (fertile). These relationships have a large part in the existential danger to the special wolf species. Following years of drought, shepherds and farmers migrate to the high and rainy areas. The Bala Mountains, at an average height of about 3000 meters, form a grazing hinterland. More rain grows grass that attracts drought refugees.

The arrival of the "drought refugees" pushes the feet of the wild animals and causes pressure on their habitats. The refugees arrive in the area with their herds and dogs. It is estimated that today there are about 40,000 dogs in the Bala Mountains. The contact between the dogs and the wolves is harmful to the wolves. First because of the unnatural pairings, but more so when the dogs infect the wolves with rabies. Of the 40,000 dogs only about 10,000 are vaccinated against rabies. To protect the wolf population, an extensive vaccination project is underway. The wolves are captured, vaccinated and released.

According to the warehouses in the area, this is the right season for the execution, as this is the estrus period when wolves are most likely to come into contact with dogs. Therefore, the capture and vaccination operation continued until mid-November. The project is a collaboration between the Ethiopian authorities and Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Unit (WildCRU). Since rabies breaks out in cycles, it is important to revaccinate the wolf population every few years, according to Prof. David McDonald "the project is an example of the importance of combining science in an effort to provide a practical solution for preservation and conservation," since without the vaccine, the population of the super carnivore will be consumed in a unique area and special